Boycott Search Results

The Next Web plagiarized this article, was called out by the original author, and [the CEO] responded very poorly.  (See the CEO’s responses to the original author via Twitter toward the end here.)

I decided to block all Google search results from TheNextWeb.com by doing the following steps:

  1. Log in to your Google account at Google.com
  2. Search the term “the next web”
  3. Click on the first result that comes from TheNextWeb.com
  4. Hit “Back” from your browser
  5. Click on the new option that appears under the same result from Step 3 that reads “Block all thenextweb.com results” (see screenshot via title link)

This works for other domains as well. I like to use it when a certain domain tends to return crappy results (e.g., song lyrics websites that contain an obnoxious number of ads).

Most Pirated Show of 2012

According to this Forbes article, the current, second season of HBO’s Game of Thrones has been illegally downloaded more than 25 million times via torrents. I really believe a decent-enough percentage of the people pirating the TV show would have gladly paid to watch it — without having to get an HBO subscription. I can understand HBO wanting to keep exclusivity, but a percentage of 25 million downloads just seems like an awful waste of opportunity for them.

(via parislemon)

When Was the Last Time?

Following are some quotes from and my thoughts on a Mariah Carey interview in late 2011.

People don’t talk about it because I think if you’re female, there’s an issue. And if you’re not strumming a guitar or playing a freakin’ flute or a fiddle, suddenly you’re, like, less of an artist… because that’s not your process. People don’t realize when I first started out, I made sure I hit a lot of high notes. It was all about the voice. If I just started out singing softly only, people wouldn’t necessarily have taken notice.

I think this woman is a lot smarter and more business savvy than people give her credit for.

[In response to whether she is a singer or writer first:] I do feel like I’m a writer first. Technically, I don’t have to write the song in order to sing it. Somebody could write the song and present it to me. I don’t feel fulfilled as an artist that way.

And whether or not you actually like her music, it is hard to deny that she has been an extremely skillful artist through the years, not just in vocal ability but also in the way she has been able to continually connect with fans. Hey, 18 number one hits didn’t just come out of sheer luck!

Not to mention: when was the last time you wrote a Christmas standard?

Zuckerberg Offends With Hoodie

Jim Kerstetter at CNet:

Facebook’s CEO apparently wore a hoodie to a meeting. Let’s face it: He could dress like Thor, wield the fabled hammer Mjolnir in presentations, and they’d still want in on the company’s IPO.

You don’t need to be in a suit and tie to mean business.

(via The Loop)

Why Android Isn't Always Winning

Marco Arment:

What keeps nearly every Android device and OS release from being truly great are deep-rooted issues that have no apparent solution for the foreseeable future. The device manufacturers aren’t very good at software, yet they keep writing their own. The OS has no consistent hardware platform to target.